Approximately 75 percent of black and men women are likely to develop high blood pressure by the age of 55, compared to 55 percent of white men and 40 percent of white women in the same age range, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Less than 40 percent of people with severe elevations in cholesterol are being prescribed appropriate drug treatment, according to a nationally representative study reported in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) journal Circulation. Data from the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used to estimate prevalence rates of self-reported screening, awareness and statin therapy among U.S. adults age 20 and older with severely elevated LDL or “bad cholesterol” levels of 190 mg/dL or higher.

Eating spicy foods can help people eat less salt and have lower blood pressure -- potentially reducing their risk of heart attack and stroke -- according to new research in the American Heart Association’s (AHA) journal Hypertension. “Previously, a pilot study found that trace amounts of capsaicin, the chemical that gives chili peppers their pungent smell, enhanced the perception of food being salty,” said senior study author Zhiming Zhu, M.D., professor and director of the Department of Hypertension and Endocrinology at the Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China. “We wanted to test whether this effect would also reduce salt consumption.”

Healthy nonsmokers may experience increased adrenaline levels in their heart after one electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) with nicotine, according to new research in Journal of the (AHA), the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association.

Stopping long-term, low-dose aspirin therapy may increase your risk of suffering a cardiovascular event, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

Add veggies. Subtract sodium in soups. Use a squirt of lemon. These were among the winners in , the American Heart Association’s (AHA) first-ever #BreakUpWithSalt “hack” contest – an effort to generate tips, tricks or hacks for reducing sodium in processed and restaurant foods.

The hearts of people who live in polluted areas are weaker than those who regularly breathe cleaner air, according to a new study. Researchers said they found evidence of harmful effects even when levels of pollution associated with diesel vehicles were less than half the safety limit set by the European Union.

Reducing the amount of sodium you put in home-cooked meals may not be sufficient to improve your health if you dine out regularly at restaurants, says a new study, because restaurant foods and commercially processed foods sold in stores contain so much of it.

Keeping your pressure under control can mean adding things to your life, like exercise, that help lower it. But, you may not realize that it also means avoiding things that raise your pressure. A healthy blood pressure level means you’re less likely to have a heart attack or stroke.

Gaining just five pounds can increase your blood pressure, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions 2014.